Electric meter.



No. 667,028. Patented m. 29, I901. A. n. LUNT.

ELECTRIC METER. rA nmion filed Oct'31, 1900.)

(No Model.)

V Witnesses: Inventor.

filexander D.Lunt 5 by -w- 2 I x THE NORmS Pawns c0 wowmmon WASWNGTON.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER D. LUNT, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC M ETER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 667,028, dated January 29, 1901. Application filed October 31, 1900. Serial No. 34,984. (No model.)

To a. whom it may concern: tinuous disk-winding mounted between two Be it known that I, ALEXANDER D. LUNT, retaining-platesl3. Aplan view ofthis wind- 50 a citizen of the United States, residing at ing is shown more clearly in Fig. 3, which Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of needs no special description. The disk-wind- New York, have invented certain new and ing and its retaining-plates 13 are supported usefulImprovements in Electric Meters,(Case upon some fixed portion of the meter-as, for No. 922,) of which the following is a specifiexample, upon a circular plate 14., having 55 cation. the downwardlyextending standards 15 16, of

My present invention involves the applicanon-magnetic material, fastened to the poletion of certain novel principles in electric pieces 17 18 of a motor, upon the shaft 19 of metering, and is particularly useful for the which are mounted the collector-rings 8 9, measurement of direct current, although of heretofore referred to. The pole-pieces 17 60 course not necessarily limited to employment and 18 are intended to represent the poles of in this connection only. The current or other a permanent magnet, in conjunction with quantity to be measured is caused to produce which the armature 20 operates, this armaa magnetic field of a value which varies thereture being of the ordinary directcurrent with. This magnetic field by suitable means type and connected through commutator and is caused to rotate and acts inductively upon brushes 21 and suitable conductors across the a suitable induced member, the motion of supply-mains 1 and 2. Of oourse'any other 20 which is retarded by fans or other suitable suitable form of motor, either mechanical or device. The number of revolutions of this electrical, may be employed, if desired. The induced member, which is preferably in the motor illustrated is intended to be in normal form of a disk or shell, is counted by a suitoperation whenever current fiowsin the mains able registering device and furnishesa ineas- 1 and 2 and being supplied by constant po- 25 ure of the energy consumed. tential current runs at practically constant The points of novelty of the invention will speed. be particularly set forth in the claims ap- In order to prevent undue waste of energy pended hereto. As for its details and mode at times when no current flows in the supplyof operation reference is to be had for a furmains 1 and 2, I may provide a device where- 0 ther explanation of the same to the following bythe armature-circuit of the motor is opendescription, taken in connection with the accircuited when no current flows in the mains. companying drawings, in which- As shown in Fig. 1, this consists of a coil 22,

Figure 1 represents a meter embodying my in series with one of the mains l 2. Current invention; Fig. 2, a modification of the same, in this coil acts upon a spring-retracted arma- 5 and Fig. 3 a detail. ture 23, which when attracted by current in In Fig. 1 the mains conveying energy to be the coil closes the armaturecircuit through measured are indicated at l and 2. A shuntthe contact 25 and opens the circuit when curcircuit (represented by the conductors 3 4) rent in the coil ceases to flow. connected across a resistance 5 in series with I Mounted in close inductive relation to the 40 the main 1 conveys an electromotive force disk-winding (indicated in Fig. l at 26) is a proportional to the current flowing in the disk 27, of some good conducting material, mains 1 2. The conductors 3 4 are connected on the outer edge of which are mounted a seto brushes 6 7, which bear upon the collectorries of fan-blades 28, formed either out of the rings 8 and 9, respectively, these collectormaterial of the disk or out of any other suit- 5 rings being connected in turn with the reable substanceas, for instance, sheets of volving brushes 10 and 11, which bear upon mica. This disk 27 is carried by a shaft 48,

a stationary commutator 12. The commupivoted at its lower end in a bearing 29, cartator 12 has its segments connected to a conried by the supporting-plate 14, and at its upper end to a similar bearing 30. A counter 31 is geared to the shaft in the usual manner, so as to register its number of revolutions.

In the operation of the meter the magnetic field produced by current in the winding 26 is caused to rotate by rotating the brushes 10 and 11, which are moved at a practically-constant speed by the electric motor 20. A dragging effect is thus produced on the induced member or disk 27. The field due to the current in the winding 26 being thus rotated at constant speed sets up in the disk 27 a cur rent which reacts with a torque proportional to the square of the current in the winding 26. Since the retarding action of the fans 28 increases or may be made to increase in proportion to the square of the speed, it follows that the speed of motion of the disk will then be proportional to the current fiowing in the winding 26. Since this current is proportional to the current in the mains, the counter 21 will therefore register the amount of current flowing in the consumption-circuits. Fig. 2 represents a modified form of meter in which the rotation of the field is produced by mechanical rotation of the disk-winding itself rather than by the progressive shifting of connections to the same, as is done in Fig. 1. In Fig. 2 a disk-winding of substantially the same form as shown in Fig. 1 is indicated at 32 and is mounted bodily upon the shaft of the constantly-driven electric motor 33, corresponding to the motor shown in Fig. 1. Two terminals of the winding 32, the commutator being omitted, are connected to collectorrings 3 which by means of cooperating brushes 35 put the winding in connection with the resistance 5, in series with the main 1 of the consumptioncircuit.

The rotating disk acted upon by the winding 32 is shown at 36 and is provided with fans 37 in a manner similar to the structure shown in Fig. 1.

In order to do away with the dragging effect of air-eddies produced when the diskwinding 32 is rotated in proximity to the disk 36, I separate the two by a diaphragm of some suitable non-magnetic materialas, for example, a glass plate 38. In the center of this plate is mounted a bearing 39 for receiving the upper end of the shaft 40 of the motor 33 and the lower end of the shaft a1 of the disk 36.

The operation of the meter shown in Fig. 2 is the same in principle as that shown in Fig. 1, the only substantial difference being that 'the magnetic field due to the winding 32 is shifted by means of angular displacement of the winding itself instead of by shifting connections leading to the winding.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an electric meter, the combination of a winding fed by current to be measured, means for causinga rotation of the magnetic field due to current in said winding, a rotatable body of conducting material in inductive relation to said magnetic field, and a counter for registering the number of revolutions of said body.

2. In an electric meter for direct currents, the combination of means for producing rotation of a magnetic field due to said direct current,an induced member-acted on by said magnetic field, and a counter or other registering device controlled by said induced member.

In an electric meter, the combination of a winding fed by current to be measured, means independent of said current for causing a rotation of the magnetic field due thereto, and an induced member acted on by said field.

4. In an electric meter, the combination of a continuously-rotatable induced member, and means for acting on said induced member by a rotating magnetic field produced through the agency of direct current.

5. In an electric meter, the combination of a winding normally traversed by direct current, means for causing a rotation of the field due to said direct current, an d a contin uouslyrotatable induced member acted on by said field.

6. In an electric meter, the combination of an electric motor, a recording mechanism, and means for actuating the recording mechanism by said electric motor through the instrumentality of an electromagnetic drag device.

7. In an electric meter, the combination of a motor, a continuously-rotatable shaft, and an electromagnetic drag device whereby the motor may cause rotation of said shaft.

8. In an electric meter, the combination of a constantly-driven electric motor, a continuously-rotatable shaft, and an electromagnetic drag device for transmitting motion from the motor to the shaft.

9. The combination of an electric motor, a continuously -rotatable device geared to a counter, and an electromagnetic device for transmitting motion from the motor to said rotatable device.

10. The combination of a winding excited by direct current, a motor for putting the winding into continuous motion, a continuously-rotatable induced member within the influence of said winding, and a counter actuated by said induced member.

11. The combination of a winding normally traversed by an electric current, a motor for putting the winding into continuous motion, and a continuously-rotatable induced member within the influence of said winding.

12. A direct-current meter having two relatively movable members, one of which is driven by the reaction of current induced through the instrumentality of the other.

18. Ina direct-current meter, the combination of means for producing a rotary magnetic field by energy derived from direct current,'an induced member within the influence of said field, and a registering device.

duced by the influence of current to he meas- 1o ured.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of October, 1900.

ALEXANDER D. LUNT.

Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, FRED Russ. 

